Tracy McGrady leaving the Toronto Raptors in the summer of 2000 remains one of the NBA’s biggest what-ifs. He walked away as a free agent, leaving behind his cousin Vince Carter while rumors flew in every direction. The two had been electric together for two seasons, but the split wasn’t about them. It came down to front-office dysfunction and organizational chaos, not any tension between the stars themselves. The media, though, ran with a rivalry narrative that simply didn’t exist.
McGrady and Carter recently sat down on the “Cousins” podcast and talked about how overblown the whole situation became. McGrady even told a story about Dennis Rodman pulling him aside at a club in Los Angeles, genuinely concerned about the supposed rift and urging him to fix things.
“I was with my best friend, Eric Anderson. Yeah, he ended up getting murdered while I was with the Magic. But when I used to go to LA, I used to take him with me. So, we got in L.A., bro. And we go to this spot, and Dennis Rodman is in there. And he sees me. I walk by, and he grabs me, bro. No bulls**t. He grabs me like, ‘Hey, moth*rfu**er. I hear this sh*t going on with you and your cousin. Y’all better fix that shi*t.’ Straight up.”
“We was in the spot, bro. He wasn’t even in his right mind, but to grab me, and he thought about that, that’s how much the media was putting that shit out there between us at this time. Because Dennis Rodman grabbed me, snatched me out. And I’m in LA and this ain’t even during the season. This is an off season.””
“He was definitely living his best life. But yeah, I just thought at that time, man, the media was playing a lot into that sh*t. And then receiving that call, I think y’all was on a bus when Oak (Charles Oakley) called, put us on the phone. It’s like, Yo, what is going on, bro? Why we even going through this and doing this? Like, there is no beef here.”
The encounter showed just how widespread the false narrative had become. Even someone like Rodman, who wasn’t exactly locked into every storyline, had heard enough to feel compelled to say something.
The partnership between Carter and McGrady started back in 1997 when McGrady joined Toronto straight out of Mount Zion Christian Academy. Carter was already there as a rising star. McGrady brought raw talent, length, and fearlessness to the roster, and by the 1999-2000 season, they looked like the league’s next great duo.
Their practices were intense and competitive, filled with one-on-one battles that made both of them better. That connection showed up in games with spectacular dunks, crisp passing, and natural chemistry. Away from basketball, they stayed close as cousins who shared Florida roots, spending plenty of time together off the court.
Everything changed under head coach Butch Carter, whose harsh approach wore players down. He clashed openly with the roster and made decisions that frustrated the team, including sitting key players under the guise of managing their workload. Young guards who wanted freedom and minutes didn’t respond well to that philosophy.
Complaints about favoritism and internal friction became louder inside the locker room. A playoff loss to the New York Knicks made everything worse, and Butch Carter was fired shortly after, though the damage had already been done.
When free agency arrived in July 2000, McGrady had reached his limit. Toronto put six years and $60 million on the table, but the Orlando Magic offered a max deal and a chance to return home.
The mess within the organization made his decision easier. McGrady later admitted the Raptors never had a real shot at keeping him. He signed a seven-year, $92.8 million contract with Orlando on August 3 through a sign-and-trade that sent Dell Curry, Michael Stewart, and cash to Toronto.
The media wasted no time filling in the blanks with its own version of events. Stories painted McGrady as someone desperate to escape Carter’s shadow, with rumors of jealousy and locker-room problems spreading quickly. Fake quotes and anonymous sources kept the narrative alive, and both families felt the weight of it.
Carter admitted years later that even they almost started believing the noise. The truth was much simpler. Their relationship never fractured. Everything around them did.
